CIT Students’ Union MagazineVolume Seven - Issue Eight

Societies ASocieties AwardswardsPhotosPhotos

NewsNews& Reviews& Reviews

LatLatest GAest GAAA& Rugby News& Rugby News

BBEBOEBOMeMe

CIT Students’ UnionRossa Ave,BishopstownCork,Ireland.

Telephone: 021 493 3120Fax: 021 454 5343Email: info@expliCIT.ie

expliCIT StaffEditor - Caitriona FoleyDesign & Advertising - Philip O’Reilly

ContributionsMichael O’Connor Emma MartinJonathan O’Sullivan Barry O’SullivanMichelle Bouse Glynis DennehySéan F O’Leary CIT Floppy SocSelf Help Africa SUAS SocietyEoin Deane Keith RickenNeil Danton John Murphy

CIT Students’ UnionPresident - Jeremy Ó Murchú(supres@cit.ie)Vice President Education - Michael O’Connor(sueducation@cit.ie)Vice President Welfare - Sinéad O’Connell(suwelfare@cit.ie)Entertainments Officer - Charles Daly(suents@cit.ie)Projects Officer - Wesley Kiely(suprojects@cit.ie)Communications Officer - Caitriona Foley(sucomms@cit.ie)

PrintBarnaville Print & Graphics LTDFreshford, Kilkenny.

Advertising OpportunitiesCIT has almost 17,000 full and part-time students withover 1,500 supporting staff. Why not use expliCIT topromote your business to this large audience?

Copy deadlines, advertising rates and technical specifi-cations are available from our website www.expliCIT.ieor upon request from the Publications Office.

expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CITStudents’ Union. The views expressed in the magazineare those of their authors and are not necessarily thoseof CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pictures are theproperty of their respective owners and should not bereproduced without their permission.

expliCIT editorial

If you would like to contribute to expliCIT pleasecontact Philip in the main SU office (C143) or

email: info@expliCIT.ie

We Need You!

Hey boys and girls,

It’s hard to believe that this is my last editorial here at expliCIT! I’ve had an amazing year, with somemajor ups and downs, and a few surprises thrown in as well. But now it’s time to pass the torch toGearóid Buckley, who was recently elected as my successor. Well done, Gearóid, and congratulationsto all the others elected to the Students’ Union for 2006/07: Brian, Marie Claire and Wez.

Since our last issue, there have been plenty of events to keep everyone busy, including the election ofcourse, as well as the Societies Awards on April 4th and Celebration Day on April 5th. Congrats to allthe societies and individuals that won awards in the Metropole Hotel on the 4th, they were all welldeserved. The first ever Crawford Societies Masquerade Ball was held in the Imperial Hotel on the 12thof April and a wonderful night was had by all.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, bird flu is on its way so however lucky it is, do not, I repeat DO NOT,let any birds add a little white design to your clothes and/or head. The new School of Music is well onits way, and will most likely be a fantastic building for all the music students. As for the situation in theCrawford, well it still seems to be in a state of limbo, and the students are still waiting to hear a deci-sion. (Don’t hold your breath.)

So now it’s time to say goodbye. I’d like to thank everyone in the Students’ Union, the class reps, thestaff in CIT and all the brilliant new friends I’ve made in what has probably been one of the most event-ful years of my life. I hope that we’ve done a good job for all of you, the students, here in the SU, andthat your final exams go well. Best of luck, and have a wonderful summer!

Slán go fóill, agus go n-eirí an tádh libh,Caitriona

P.S. If you have time and you know what’s good for you, listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!

Oh Jeremy, JeremyYou are a treasureTo know you through collegehas been the ultimate pleasure

On our first dayYou showed us the wayAs we walked through the main doorWith our eyes on the floor

As the years passed byWe all developed a twinkle in our eyeOur love for the fun gotstronger and strongerThat is why my liver cannot take muchlonger

Then all of a suddenYou shot to fameIt was the Students President youbecameWe all cheered quite loudas you did us proud

Now you are leavingWe too must goOnto bigger better that I do know

So that is the story we wish to tellAnd to CIT we say farewell

(submitted by final year students with fond memories of their time in CIT)

Ode to JeremyOde to Jeremy

Hawkes Road Pharmacy, Hawkes Road, Bishopstown (Near DeansHall / Outpost Bar). TEL: 021 4348331

• Passport Photographs €€4.00• Photograph Processing• All Prescriptions Dispensed• Stockists of Gosh, Vichy, RoC

& La Roche Posay Cosmetics

Opening Hours:Monday to Friday: 9:30am - 18:30pm

Saturday: 9:30am - 6:00pm

HAWKES ROAD PHARMACY

Cork Institute ofTechnology to be

Renamed PC World

Yes it's true, after signing the contracts late on Friday, CIT is to be renamed PC World.According to sources, the fact anyone can walk off the street and pickup the cheapestcomputers in Cork, really annoyed the famous store, so they decided to buy CIT.

A spokesperson for CIT stated, "we owe this honour to years of negligence by not hav-ing on campus security. Anyone can come here and pick up a few state of the art PCs,Printers or high defination LCD projectors".

A regular customer, recently on parole for joyriding said, "jasus, tha joint is de place togo for a dacent computer or prajector. I can score at least fifty for a gud one".

Dear expliCIT Readers, As you can guess the above is a joke but I'm so annoyed. I caught a couple of youngteenagers in the Student Centre causing trouble and told them to move on. I got theusual "feck you boye" and so I notified the caretakers. I was informed that they can doNOTHING as they are not security. I asked them to call the Gardaí and they said therewas little point. I was told that they saw a car being broken into a week before andcalled the local Gardaí but it was almost 50 minutes before they arrived. I agree that itis NOT their job but the photos here show that it should be somebody’s!

PCs, bikes, projectors and equipment are just some of the items that could be takenevery day but they can be replaced. This suitation is a complete joke and going on pastexperiences, this college will do nothing until someone is attacked on campus or worse.I’ve heard rumors of houses in the area with Xbox’s running with projectors kindlydonated by the Institute. I believe that some may see that employing security is anunneccessary expense but surely the savings on replacing equipment and possiblereductions in insurance premiums could be factored in ensuring. Student and staff safe-ty should be a priorty. Concerned expliCIT reader.

Take yourPick!

Make sure it’s not one ofmany with the BlueScreen of Death

Bus Driver will charge youchild rate for PC Using a seat

FREEPC!

“...we owe this honour to years of negligence by not havingon campus security. Anyone can come here and pick up a

few state of the art PCs, Printers or high definationLCD projectors...”

CITSU Condemns Institute Over Lack of On Campus SecurityCampus security or more precisely the lack of it is a worry for everyone here withinCIT. When you consider the staggering number of people that traverse our campuseveryday it astonishes one that crime isn’t a bigger problem. However, don’t let thatcomment fool you crime is here in CIT. This year alone a number of bicycles andmotor cycles have been stolen, and many car owners have reported vandalism to theUnion.

This autumn will see the opening of the new Student Centre and with that the firston campus bar. Being realistic alcohol will bring its own problems. Who will regulateaccess to this members only bar? Who will oversee the exeunt of students from thecollege after close? More seriously some colleges have seen dusk become a time ofdanger for its students.

University of Limerick responded to attacks on its students by increasing the numberof security personnel on the ground. President of ULSU Fintan Breen stated that ”col-lege security was stepped up with campus security on motorcycles and cars, next yearwill see the installation of a €€400,000 CCTV system across campus”.

Security is becoming a major issue for all colleges yet we here in CIT. find ourselveslacking any suitable presence on campus. Speaking recently President of CITSUJeremy O Murchú recalled that ”this year has seen a sharp increase in criminal activ-ity on campus”. He added, “next year will quite likely follow this trend along with therest of the country, we demand that the college address this problem in a suitablefashion by recruiting professional on campus security to protect student welfare”.

The International Students Society at CIT won the Best Society of the YearAward at the National Board of Irish College Societies Awards Ceremony heldat the Rochestown Park Hotel. The 2006 ceremony, hosted by CIT on Thursday13th April, was a resounding success and attended by Staff and Students fromColleges and Universities throughout the country.

The guest speaker for the evening was Mr Pat Cox, current President of theEuropean Movement and former President of the European Parliament. He waspresented with an oil on board painting commissioned by the CIT SocietiesBoard. Painted by Francis Coughlan, a fourth year student at the CrawfordCollege of Art and Design, it portrayed the busy yet relaxed style of Cork CityDockland area.

Chairperson of the Societies Board, Mr. Dan Collins, said, “My thanks, on behalfof the Societies Board, to the staff and students associated with the planning,organisation and facilitation of the event on Wednesday and Thursday. WhileCIT were delighted to host this year’s competition and awards ceremony itshould be noted that the inspiration, work, effort and endeavour of MervynO’Mahony, our Societies Officer, made this event possible and a success; apoint that was made by all speakers at the Awards Ceremony”.

He added, “My thanks also to all the CIT students who made it to the final andparticipated in the event and my congratulations to the Committee and allassociated with the International Students Society”.

CIT Win Best Society ofthe Year at NationalAwards Ceremony“...The International Students Society at CIT won theBest Society of the Year Award at the National Board ofIrish College Societies Awards Ceremony...”

The CIT Theatre was treated to the best musical talent on offer by CIT Studentson Thursday 2nd March 2006 as the €€uroStar finalists took to the stage. Thefinal of €€uroStar was well attended by students, staff, parents and friends. Everyseat was filled as they waited for the show to begin. There were three finalistsin the “Original Song” section and nine in the “Cover Section”.

The judges, consisting of CIT Students’ Union Entertainment Manager MickO’Mahony, Red FM’s Steve Cooper and CIT Arts Officer Sarah Morey had a verydifficult task when it came to deliberating over the qualities of the various per-formers but eventually did return to announce the winners. The EmeritusDirector of the Institute, Dr Patrick Kelleher and competition judge, SteveCooper, presented the prizes.

For the second year running Aoife Kelliher won the much sought-after DrPatrick Kelleher Perpetual Trophy, €€2000 and recording time in a studio forwriting and performing her own song “This Is Me” in the original section. Aoifehails from Beaufort, Kerry and is a fourth year Multi Media Student. First prizein the cover section went to Will Nunan from Charleville, Cork, and a third yearstudent of BBSIS, for his performance of Paddy Casey’s “Sweet Suburban Sky”.

The ‘Barber Shop Quartet’ were a huge hit with the audience as they enter-tained the packed house at the interval, along with last year’s “Original Song”winner, Aoife Kelliher. High praise must go to the very capable MC of the night,Jeremy Murphy, and to everyone who made the night the huge success that itwas. The continued success of the CIT €€uroStar competition was the result ofa combination of resources from the Chaplaincy, Student Support Team,Students’ Union, Societies Office, Sports Office and many other staff and stu-dents. Congratulations to all the winners and performers of the competition.

On Wednesday 15th March, Aoife and Will went on to represent CIT in thenational song contest, IT factor, where entrants from most of the Institutes ofTechnology participated. The IT Factor in its second year was hosted by GMITGalway, which was initially spearheaded last year by CIT Chaplain, Fr KieronO’Driscoll.

Marc Roberts was MC on the night and the judges consisted of Simon Casey,Anthony Callinan and Kevin Morrissey. Both Aoife and Will gave flawless andinspiring displays in front of a full house at the Great Southern Corrib Hotel inGalway. Despite the high standard of musical talent on display the judges did-n’t take long to come to their decision. Simon Casey did the honour ofannouncing the winners. In the “Original Song” category the roof was almostlifted off as Aoife was announced as the winner. Next up was the “Cover Song”category, and once again the Corrib erupted with elation as CIT completed aremarkable double with Will winning best “Cover Song”.

Congrats to GMIT Galway for hosting a great event, certainly one to rememberfor quite some time. Thanks to the many supporters of family and friends whotraveled to Galway to support Aoife and Will.

The contest, now in its second year, was the brainchild of Chaplain, Fr KieronO’Driscoll, whose vision it was to showcase some of the musical talent thatexists within CIT. Fr Kieron stated, “I’m delighted with the continued support ofall the student services, all those that participated and also the huge support ofstaff, student’s family and friends. I was delighted for both Aoife and Will forwinning the national competition IT Factor in both categories. It’s great to seethe IT Factor going from strength to strength. WIT are anxious to host the ITFactor next which will see it continue into the future”.

CIT Wins Double in National IT Song Contest

Monday 1st May Texas Hold ‘Em Night

Tuesday 2nd May Party Fun ‘n’ Frolics with DJ

Wednesday 4th May The Waxies Live On Stagefollowed by Summer Party DJ

Thursday 4th May BEAT THE DJ - Prizes GalloreEnd of Year Promo Madness

BOOK YOUR END OF YEAR PARTY NOW!SEE POSTERS / FLIERS FOR END OF EXAMS PARTY GIG GUIDEREMEMBER TEXAS HOLD EM EVERY MONDAY & DJ EVERY THURSDAY DURING EXAMS!

The management and staffwould like to wish you thebest of luck with your examsand thank you for your custom this year.

Enjoy the Summer!

The 2006 Student Awards, jointly sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Ulster Bankand Invest Northern Ireland took place on April 5th and 6th in QueensUniversity, Belfast. This competition is designed to encourage innovation, pro-mote enterprise and foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among third level stu-dents. There was an amazing prize fund of €€44,000 on offer to students par-ticipating in the Awards.

The first day of the competition saw the finalists present their products andbusiness plans to the judging panel. The prizes were presented by DougRichards from the Dragons Den at an award ceremony in the Great Hall inQueens which was attended by over 120 people.

For the third year in succession CIT was one of the finalists – the team consist-ed of three Business Studies (Accounting and Information Systems) studentsand one Mechanical Engineering student who came together to enter the CITPrize for Innovation (where they took 1st place and prize money of €€3,000) fortheir work on their product Fingerfit.

Fingerfit is a neoprene glove with an inbuilt metal support made of aluminium.The neoprene glove will allow the skin to breathe, hence counteracting thebreakdown of the skin. The finger splint is used to support the bone at eitherend of the fracture giving it time to heal. If the fracture is not well supportedthe bone will heal with a bit of a bend. The finger splint has three clamp likearms, two on the underside of the hand and one on top of the hand. The fin-ger splint is lined with foam for the comfort of the user.

The overall winners of the Student Awards were DIT Bolton Street. The highlightof the 2 days was the return journey home from Belfast as we met Westlife.They were on the same flight down for their show in Millstreet.

CIT Mechanical Engineering Degree student, Kathleen Hurley and Accountingand Information Systems students, Martina Brennan, Claire Murphy and LucyGleeson, have been short-listed to the Top Five Finalists in the 2006 EnterpriseIreland / Invest Northern Ireland Student Awards.

Kathleen Hurley's Final Year Mechanical Engineering project concerns thedesign, prototype production and testing of a medical glove with Inbuilt sup-port for a fifth metacarpal fracture. Kathleen collaborated with Accounting andInformation Systems students Martina, Claire and Lucy, who devised theBusiness Plan, to form a company Finger Splint Ltd.From a large national entry, The Finger Splint Team have been selected as oneof just five finalists in the 2006 Ireland / Invest Northern Ireland StudentAwards Competition finals, which take place on 5th-6th April in QUB, Belfast

Ms. Caroline O'Reilly and Dr. Keith Bryan are the proud supervisors of the cross-discipline student team finalists.

Photo shows: CIT Mechanical Engineering Degree Student Kathleen Hurley(right) & Accounting and Information Systems Students Martina Brennan, ClaireMurphy and Lucy Gleeson demonstrating the developed prototype and busi-ness plan.

Enterprise IrelandStudent Awards 2006“...students who came together to enter the CIT Prize forInnovation (where they took 1st place and prize money of€€3,000) for their work on their product Fingerfit..."

Would you like to get involved with expliCIT?info@expliCIT.ie

or you can drop in directly into the SU office in C143

CIT to Build Second Library on Bishopstown CampusThe Minister for Education & Science recentlyannounced sanction for a Library Extension forCIT as a PPP project. This building is likely tohave a footprint of some 2,000 m2 and be atleast a two storey building. As a PPP develop-ment, it is necessary for contract/developmentpurposes that it be a stand-alone building, ide-ally within a defined zone extending perhapssome 5-10 m beyond the footprint of thebuilding itself as the site would be leased tothe PPP consortium for some 25 or so years.

Thus, the option of physically attaching theextension to the existing library was not feasi-ble given the likely physical size of the buildingand the unpredictable risks for any PPP con-sortium that interference with an existinglibrary operation might throw up during devel-opment. Also, the anticipated scale of thedevelopment offers an opportunity to add

another substantial building to the Campusand with it the opportunity to continue thechange in a very positive way its built environ-ment.

RKD Architects undertook the MasterplanReview in consultation with the Institute andits Development Committee (of GoverningBody).

The revised Bishopstown Campus Masterplan,which shows the location of the proposedLibrary Extension (most likely to be re-titledLearning Resource Centre) to the east of B & C-Blocks of the main campus building. It is alsohoped that the development will “carry” thenew front and bus set-down area for whichplanning exists. This would allow a (con-trolled) second vehicle access point to theupper plateau area of the campus.

Cork Institute of Technology hosted a Massed Band Concert consisting ofBallincollig Concert Band and St. Nicholas Brass Band on Wednesday 15thMarch. The performance took place in the main college theatre and includedmany classical and contemporary arrangements.

The bands have many members that include students and staff of the Institute,and both conductors graduated from the Cork School of Music. Special guestson the night also included the Note Perfect Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Ms.Rose Griffin.

Ballincollig Concert Band was founded by John O’Connor in 1988 and over thecourse of the last eighteen years has grown into one of the largest and mostsuccessful concert bands in the country. The organisation now encompassesthree bands, at junior, intermediate and senior level and many members whobegan their musical studies there have gone on to successful careers perform-ing at the highest level, both in this country and abroad. The current conduc-tor, Eoin Nash, took over the baton from John O’Connor in 2003.

St Nicholas’ Brass Band was founded in Cove Street in Cork in 1914. Originallyfounded as a bugle band, it became a full brass band following the purchaseof a number of instruments from what was then Victoria (now Collin’s)Barracks. At this time the first conductor was engaged from the military bandbased in the barracks. The involvement with the barracks is carried on to this

day, with the current conductor, Robert O’Brien also being a serving bandsmanin the Defence Forces.

Ballincollig Conductor, Eoin Nash, graduated from the Cork School of Music in2000 with an honours BMus. In 2004 he completed a Masters degree in MusicTherapy at the University of Limerick. As a trombone player, Eoin has touredaround the world with various local and national ensembles. In 2005 he enlist-ed in the Army School of Music, with whom he is currently a bandsman withthe Band of the First Southern Brigade. As well as conducting the BallincolligConcert Band, Eoin also works as a musical director with the Cork Academy ofDramatic Arts and has for the past two years been musical director of the pop-ular Christmas pantomime at the Everyman Palace theatre in Cork.

St. Nicks Conductor, Robert O’Brien, began his musical studies at the CorkSchool of Music, from which he graduated in 2004 with an honours BMus.There he studied the tuba, first with Brian Prendergast, and subsequently withTony Neal and Francis Magee. He enlisted in the Army School of Music in 2002and is currently posted to the Band of The First Southern Brigade in CollinsBarracks, where he holds the rank of bandsman. He is also on the staff of theCork School of Music, where he teaches Tuba and conducts the Beginner andJunior Concert Bands. Robert was appointed conductor of St Nicholas’ BrassBand in February 2005.

CIT Hosts MassedBand Concert“...The bands have many members that include students and staffof the Institute, and both conductors graduated from the CorkSchool of Music, a constituent college of CIT...”

Would you like to get involvedwith our magazine expliCIT?We are always looking for students to submit articles and photos for our magazine. If you are interested in submittingnews, reviews, feature articles, photos, sport or societies infothen please get in contact with us now!

Email: info@expliCIT.ieTel: 021 4933124

Meet: SU Shop - C143

My fellow Students,

Welcome back after the Easter break, I hopeyou had an enjoyable one. Things have beenvery busy here in the Students' Union and inCIT. Hopefully by the time you are reading thisthe library issue will be resolved, I'm sure youhave signed the petitions that have been circu-lated over the last number of weeks. If the col-lege are not willing to extend the library hoursso that students can enhance there studyingcapabilities, well then we'll have an few inter-esting nights here in CIT.

CIT recently hosted the national society awards in the beginning of April. It wasa two day event that took place in the Student Centre, which I have to say,looked terrific. I was delighted that CIT picked up an award, so a belated con-gratulations on behalf of everyone here in the Students' Union to theInternational Students Society and indeed to all those involved in the organis-ing and hosting of it.

Since the last time I was talking to you the Students' Union has come under alot of criticism over the letter that was printed in the last edition of explicitabout the Student Services Company and their involvement in the new StudentCentre. A number of people were personally offended by that letter, and allafflictions resulting of it were directed to me. I will not apologise for printingthe letter, the cause is truly a righteous one. If I am to be properly responsiveto the will of the students I represent, it is my duty to place their principles, notmine, above all else.

For too long have the Students and their opinions been swept aside and notbeen taken into consideration. It is not bad enough that students have had towait three years for a building which would enhance their experiences here inCIT, but when a college decides to make decisions without any regard for stu-dent opinion, these problems need to be raised. It is the fundamental conceptof the Students’ Union that those in a position to protest should rightly do so.However saying this, to the ground staff of the canteen company I would liketo make it clear that in no way was this letter directed to you, I recently saidthat the best thing about the company is its staff, and this is indeed true, theyare always courteous, kind, and most of all gracious to the students everyday.

The Student Centre is an issue that has taken up a lot of the Students' Uniontime and resources this year. The one true regret I have when finishing my termis not being around to see it open. There has clearly been an agenda when itcame to the Student Centre from the beginning of the academic year. There hasbeen nothing but obstacles and intricacies in the way of opening the building.At this stage the building will not be completely open until September 2006.Despite all the problems it was the students who came to aide of this whiteelephant. It was the students who paid for the under floor heating, and the stu-dents who are paying for the furniture. The students will truly have ownershipof this building but many challenges lie ahead. It will be up to you the studentto stand and speak out for your right, never forget this is your college. The ener-gies and talents of all of us are needed to meet the challenges.

The students are by far the most important aspect of CIT, from time to time theStudents' Union needs to remind the Institute this. In my time here the onething I have noticed is how out of touch and oblivious this college is when itcomes to the needs of its students, be it with the library, the Student Centre, orCrawford College of Art and Design.

When I started my term of office the thing that surprised me the most was thatthings were as bad as we said they were. In my time here I always tried todemonstrate conviction, courage, a desire to help others, and a true and gen-uine love for the students of this college. I hope I achieved this.

Recently, in relation to an argument I was having in regards to CITSU’s, nonaffiliation to USI, where I raised the fact that I believe that USI does not repre-sent the opinions of all its members, the question was posed to me in turn doI represent all the opinions of the Students of CIT. I replied boldly "Yes I do".For CIT is truly a unique college, a small community where from the momentyou step in the corridor there exists a great sense of consideration for others,understanding, and association.

A famous politician once said "How can he be regarded as representing thepeople when he speaks, not their language, but his own? He ceases to be theirrepresentative when he does so, and represents himself alone." The Students'Union always speaks your language.

As my term of office is coming to a close so too is my time in CIT. I have beenblessed to have had such a unique experience and association with such a ter-rific amount of people here in the Students' Union. I believe that the Students'Union is an imperative organisation, where we can speak up for your rights asboth a student and as an individual, and to hold an organisation such as CITaccountable for every decision it makes. I hope I have done well by you the stu-dent, since I started my term of office I approached it in the following way:”Always do what is right, regardless of whether it is popular, ignore the pres-sures, the temptations, the false promises”, quoted from JFK in his first term assenator.

This year I was honoured to work with a magnificent executive who were bothdiligent and above all else hard working. Never in recent years has here beensuch a unique group of individuals who has done so much for the studentshere in CIT. I would like to thank Mikey, Wez, John, Catriona, Calvin and Sineadfor rising above and beyond the expectations of every student in this college.They have raised the bar considerably and their passion for the Students' Unionwill never be forgotten. Thanks to all the students of CIT who have supportedour cause this year. When I ran for election last year I did so hoping I couldmake a difference, I hope I did.

I can imagine no more rewarding a position, if anyone asked in these timeswhat he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good dealof pride and satisfaction: "I served as President of CIT Students' Union".

Regards,Jeremy

CIT Students’ Union Vice President Welfare

CIT Students’ Union President

Hi all!

Well it's been a fun year, a league won, getting to the SetantaCup final and still going strong in the present season…. waitthat's not right, that's about CCFC and this is a Union Address,keep on getting distracted lately by that sort of thing sorry!

Seriously though it has been a great year and I am delighted tohave been your Welfare Officer.

I didn't know coming into this job that there'd be so many com-mittees and things that I would have thought superfluousbefore, but now I realise just how much hard work is to bedone and how important this is for every student of CIT.

Don't forget that I still am still welfare officer until the end ofMay so I'm still here to help out with everyone's landlord issuesand such. You can also check out your rights on our websitewww.citsu.ie/welfare

Working with the lads (and that includes Caitriona) has beengreat this year, this Union has started and built on many thingsand I know that we are very proud of that.

Until I'm all done and gone and Marie-Claire takes over myoffice is still here and I'm always in early.

Thanks bunches everyone!

Sinéad

Landlord Problems?Call into the SU Office if you are

having any difficulties, emailsuwelfare@cit.ie or call

021 4933123

“Endings always seem so final at the close”

So this is it, I have come to the end of my termin office and my time here in CIT.

Firstly I would like to thank my colleagues in theStudents’ Union for making the experience anunforgettable one, especially the members ofthe executive Jeremy, Sinead, Wes, John, Calvinand Catriona. I’d also like to thank all the stu-dents who got involved and put their shoulders

to our cause, be they class reps, crew or volunteers. Finally I would like to thankthe academic and administrative staff within the college who helped me withmy casework through out the year.

I would now like to welcome the incoming officers and I hope they receive asmuch support from the student body as we did, I wish them every success inthe year ahead. If they need us all they got to do is push the red button andwe will come back to help out (I want to go to rep training).

Six of my adult years were spent in this safe haven of brick and portacabin. Sureit isn’t the prettiest college in the country, so what if we have dogs that havespent more time in the college than some of the students, we still rock. Thingsare looking good for us, the student centre will be open shortly, there’s a newlibrary on the way with almost over 750 study spaces and 200 open accessspaces, really we can’t complain.

Recently I was asked, what will I miss when I go and I have to say, its you guys,this year alone I made so many close friends who will remain my friends formany more days. That’s where we differ from other colleges we don’t judge

each other, we accept, here our courses only define what we do and not whowe are. The friends I have made moulded me into the individual that sits heretoday, through your belief in me I now believe in myself, I came to college anempty vessel, I now leave stored with memories.

I’ll never forget the nights out or the nights in, The Rag Balls, the after parties,beat the clock in Nancy’s, FX, Gorby’s, Rampage, Redz, all blurs I’ll hold dear tillthe day I go senile. The thrill of seeing a night you organised being a total suc-cess is unreal. Of course there were hard times too but I could always rely onmy class mates and later friends I made through Societies, Sports and theUnion, to help me through.

My final official duty, just a small bit of business to deal with; the library shouldhave extended opening hours by the time you read this article. I’ll be handingout earplugs in the library to help people study, who said I never give ya any-thing. Take a bit of advice from me, for what time’s left in the year forget aboutBEBO, it is a glorified waste of internet space. I cannot emphasise this enough,study, study hard, study harder, get an award, get what each of you deserve, ameans to a better life, and that’s what I came to college for a means to a bet-ter life.

As I walk out of my office tonight I know I’ll ask myself one question “Whatnext?”. Honestly only time will tell ……. I hear Bertie’s hiring.

My friends I say goodbye with warmth in my heart, a degree on my wall andholiday pay in my pocket!

Till our roads meet again,

Mikey

CIT Students’ Union Vice President Education

The CIT Alumni Association enables graduates to keep in touch with develop-ments at CIT and maintain contacts with friends, classmates and faculty stafffrom college days. The main aim of the Association is to provide a profession-al and social network that will be of mutual benefit to CIT alumni and theInstitute. CIT provides all alumni with free membership of the Association. CITalumni are an important part of our Institute Community.

There are CIT Alumni worldwide who have moved from studying at theInstitute but who want to stay in contact with us and who value their contin-ued connection with former classmates, academic staff and the Institute as awhole. The Alumni memeber, in turn, offer a great deal to our current studentsand staff in terms of mentoring and career assistance and also provide connec-tions to many business and public organisations which further our teachingand research objectives.

In recent months we have developed much more pro-active links, throughreunions and informal meetings with alumni. The Alumni Relations Office canalso help current students and staff with alumni links and information. I amaware that it is difficult to travel and not encounter a CIT Alumni, even in farflung locations; with your help, we can make our network a truly global one.

Finally, I would like to wish you all the best of luck in your exams and yourfuture endeavours.

Glynis Dennehy,Alumni Relations,CIT Alumni Association

The CIT Alumni Association provides members with a wide range of ben-efits and services including:

• a unique affinity credit card• assistance in organising reunions• discounts for services• the Learning City Magazine sent to all alumni on a mailing list (please

ensure you keep us updated with contact details).• general information about careers, interview skills and CV

development for recent graduates (for 1st year out graduates)• access to CIT facilities (including library membership) • invitations to various events • access to worldwide and regional branches of the Association

Find a Friend....The Alumni Office offers a free service for CIT Alumni who are seeking to con-tact former classmates and friends from their student days. If you would liketo contact a class-mate or another college friend, simply contact us to post arequest.

EventsOur Diary of Alumni Events is updated regularly. Alumni and friends areencouraged to attend events (including public lectures, arts events, sports andconferences) organised by the Institute, its individual schools, clubs or soci-eties.

ReunionsGuidelines for organising reunionsReunions are a good opportunity for Graduates to renew friendships.The CIT Alumni Association can offer assistance in the planning and organis-ing of class reunions including:

• Class lists and mailings• Choice of on-campus (if available) or off-campus venues• Accommodation advice• Advice and contact details for suitable musical entertainment• Visits to CIT Campus

Running a successful reunion requires forward planning. At the very outsetwe would advise you to establish an Organising Committee.In general it is advisable to allow a timescale of between six and twelvemonths in planning a reunion.

If you would like to become a member of the CIT Alumni Association, pleasecomplete the registration form on the online registration facility(http://www.cit.ie/GradRegister.cfm) under the Alumni section.

What Can We Offer New Graduates?

“...The main aim of the Association is to provide aprofessional and social network that will be of mutualbenefit to CIT alumni and the Institute. CIT providesall alumni with free membership of the Association.CIT alumni are an important part of our InstituteCommunity...”

Glynis Dennehy, Alumni Relations, CIT Alumni Association,Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork

Tel: +353 21 432 6589 - Fax: + 353 21 454 5182 - Email: alumni@cit.ie

Dear expliCIT,

I am fourth year business studies student here in CIT, and took agreat concern when I read the article where the SU highlighted thepossibility of the Canteen Company, taking over some of the newshops in the student centre. I was not shocked when I read this con-sidering the conduct of the college in years I have been here.

I remember when the student centre first started construction whichbrought a great deal of hope and euphoria to my class. Here we are3 years later and the building is not yet finished. Now we see that theCanteen Company is going to run some the shops in the student cen-tre which I have to say is just as bad as rubbing salt in to our wounds.

As my class are preparing to leave this college we have to say we doso with very little confidence and regard for the people that run thiscollege. If I had known that the college is run in such a way, I wouldhave not bothered coming here in the first place.

Frustrated Student.

File Picturefrom 1992

Dear expliCIT,

At this stage in the year we know that all students are diligently study-ing for final exams, we here in the Students’ Union are answeringyour call for longer opening hours in our library.

To show the college just how serious an issue this is for us we circu-lated a petition which was signed by over 1000 students. We believethat this is as clear a message as the college should require as proofof the validity of our argument for extension of hours.

We now beseech the college to extend opening hours of our libraryto include Sunday openings, similar to the opening hours of Saturday9:00 am – 5:00 pm. We believe as a result of the increased numberof student accommodation sites in Bishopstown, more and more stu-dents are spending their weekends in Cork. We see opening thelibrary on Sunday’s as the next logical step in progressing the servicethat our fine Institution offers to its customers, the students we rep-resent.

This is a subject we have brought to the attention of the college onnumerous occasions throughout the year from as early as last sum-mer; we believe we have been more than accommodating with thecollege in its attempts to extend this service. We now find ourselvesamidst the busiest season for the library and its hours have yet to beextended beyond standard opening times.

We here in the Students’ Union do not demand miracles or levelthreats, however, this is a matter which affects all our current studentsand all those who will follow in their foot steps. If the college isunwilling to aid in our request then further steps will have to betaken, this is an action which we are reluctant to commit to as it willfurther disrupt college life, however it will be the only option left opento us at this late stage.

Michael O’ConnorVP Education

CIT Society Awards 2006Over the last number of years CIT has initiated an awards ceremony to highlight Societies and individual memberswho have made an outstanding contribution to extra-curricular life at the Institute. This year the annual CIT/AIBSociety awards took place on Tuesday 4th April in the Gresham Metropole Hotel. In all 10 awards were presented onthe night. Each year the awards were presented by a known celebrity. Over the years we have had the privilege ofinviting guests such as ‘Bela’ from Fair City, Niall Toibin, Ryan Tubridy, Des Bishop and Packie O’ Callaghan. This yearthe Awards were presented by Mr Joe Rooney alias Fr Damo from Fr. Ted. This year a total of ten awards were pre-sented which were as follows; ‘Society of the Year’, ‘Group Achievement Award’, ‘Best or Most Improved Society’ and‘Best Course-Based Society’, and 6 Individual Awards.

CIT & National Societies Awards PicturesBICS National Society Awards 2006The BICS (Board of Irish College Societies) National Awards, was hosted by CorkInstitute of Technology on April 13th in the Rochestown Park Hotel. The gala eveningcelebrated the enormous contribution societies and their members make to thesocial, cultural and humanitarian life of their respective campuses. Societies offer theirmembers the opportunity to acquire very valuable life skills, which complement andenhance their academic programmes and produce well rounded graduates ready tomake significant contributions to the wider community.

Representatives from CIT, DCU, DIT, IT Tallaght, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth and UCCwere present on the evening. They all presented portfolios and attended interviewsduring the rigorous process. So important is the evening that one hundred and sev-enty society members from forty-one societies were present at a very busy time dur-ing their academic calendar. Mr Mervyn O’Mahony, CIT Societies Officer and awardscoordinator described the evening as “the highlight of the Societies calendar and awonderful opportunity for the best in the country to meet and share ideas”

Special guest for the evening was Mr. Pat Cox, former President of the EuropeanParliament, who presented the nine awards to the winners. Best Society in a largeCollege went to the Juggling Society, NUI Galway, Best Society in a small college wentto CIT International Students’ Society, Best improved Society went to DCU SaintVincent de Paul Society, Best New Society went to NUI Galway Business Society, BestSociety Event went to DCU Style Society for DCU Fashion Show 2006, Best Societyindividual went to Donna Cummins, NUI Galway, Best Society Fresher went to BreegeClarke NUI Maynooth. Best Poster went to DIT Artichoke Society and Best Websitewent to DIT LGBT Society for HYPERLINK "http://www.ditlgbt.com"

SEE www.bics.ie for more information

Pict

ures

by:

Phili

p O

’Rei

lly

Jonathan O Sullivan, Member of the CITEntrepreneurial Society, interviews local entrepreneur Tom O’Connor. Tom is the Owner of the Reel Cinema Ballincollig and also owns a host of othercinemas dotted throughout the Ireland and the UK. Tom is nearly 60 he tells mein our interview, but his laid back attitude to both work and life leaves him look-ing in his early 40’s. He loves what he does and it shows. He hates the idea ofretiring and said he could never do it. He doesn’t have many hobbies as headmits to having a short attention span. Obviously he has a passion for moviesand gets a great a kick out of watching them during the day when he has theentire room to himself. He explains “I’m always too worried about whether thecustomers are enjoying themselves and whether they are comfortable and if thevolume is ok and the projection quality is perfect – I can’t enjoy the movie!”

He’s very self-assured and aware of who he is and his capabilities without com-ing across as arrogant. He knows his strong points, such as his fantastic abilityto communicate in a confident yet warm manner. It’s a quality which I’m surehas earned him the majority his success to date. He describes himself as selfishin the fact that he likes to do things his own way and this has led to his entre-preneurial attitude and success. For example when he applied for a job inAmerican express he applied by making a video for them and on it telling themwhat he could do for the company. They said to him afterwards that it was thefirst time some one ever applied like that and they hired him straight away.

The turning point:After eleven years of working with Ryanair, Tom was asked to be the EuropeanDevelopment Manager for the company. The position, however, would haveinvolved uprooting his family from Cork and move to Dublin and would involvehim flying all over Europe for most weeks. He had absolutely no plan when heleft the company and at the age of 45 the idea of starting with another compa-ny wasn’t a very attractive one.

The idea of building a new cinema in Cork was born out on a rainy Tuesdayevening when he and his son intended to see a film at the Capitol Cinema onGrand Parade. They had to wait in the rain in a long queue for a ticket only forthe movie they want to see to be sold out. When Tom asked to book a ticket forthe next time he was told that it wasn’t available and he would have to queueagain. With Toms’ passion for the movies and his entrepreneurial attitude herecognised the opportunity for another cinema to rival the Cork city basedCapitol. Tom did his research and realised that the Irish are one of the most fre-quent cinema goers in Europe at an average of five visits per year.

Cork city was automatically ruled out, as property prices were far too costly. Tomthen approached one of his friends who is an architect to seek his advise onplanning a building but his friend had no idea of the dimensions of a cinema. Atthis time another cinema complex was in the process of being built. They decid-ed to pay the site a visit to see how it was done. Knowing that they wouldn’t beentirely welcome to look around the site, Tom and his friend had the ingeniousidea of donning a high-vis jacket and a hard hat and pose as Health and Safety.Tom again showed great ingenuity and imagination, a trait which is commonlyfound in entrepreneurs. They met the foreman in their costumes and asked thatall workers including the foreman be offsite during their ‘inspection’. They meas-ured every nook and cranny and took detailed notes. Tom even had the cheek togive out to the foreman after he nearly fell over a small pile of blocks after theyhad finished their ‘inspection’!

Tom came to the conclusion that the ideal location of his first cinema was to beDouglas in the Central Business District. His next task was to raise the venturecapital for the land. This was to be his first major hurdle. The land cost £266,700and he had to apply for a bank loan. The bank would not approve the loan untilhe had the deeds and the deeds could not be given to him without the money.He overcame this first catch 22 situation by somehow acquiring the deeds for aday and convincing the bank that he was going to use the money to build on site.Upon approval he subsequently had the land revalued to find it has appreciatedto £508,000.

He then went in search of further funding from other banks, but Tom could notget further funding until he got confirmation of product. This is a letter from adistributor stating that they are willing to provide him with motion pictures.However, Tom later found out, the distributors would not give confirmation untilthe cinema was fully built and operational. He had hit his second hurdle. At thispoint I had to ask how he dealt with the stress of starting up this business. Headmits that it put a huge strain on his relationship with his family to such an

extent where he had divorced his wife (whom he subsequently remarried). I thenasked him did he ever have self-doubt or loose faith in his idea. “Never!” heanswered. He showed true entrepreneurial spirit by never doubting himself andconstantly believing that his project was going to be successful. Tom’s persist-ence led him to the US where he pleaded with distributors who eventually cavedin and gave him the letter of confirmation fully believing that they would neversee him again.

Tom returned home, letter in hand and approached numerous banks until final-ly a bank agreed to the loan. Tom describes this as he best/worst point of start-ing up. In one respect after all his hard work and pushing for this business to goahead he had just committed to loans worth about ?1,000,000. He felt under somuch pressure but he still never doubted his own ability. Tom wasn’t afraid toask for help and he soon had ‘Cinemaworld’ in Douglas up and running.

Tom revealed in our interview that he had learned a great deal from Ryanair’slow cost and no frills business structure. He used some of these principals in thedevelopment of the cinema. Tom gets 10% on average of ticket sales, he nets offthe cost price of overheads such as staff wages, cost of stock, lighting and heat-ing. If the costs can be covered in that 10% then the goods sold are pure profit.An average person spends ?3.50 on consumable per visit to the cinema withpopcorn being the biggest profit maker. The mark up on popcorn is phenomenal.

He soon saw a gap in the market for another cinema in the Ballincollig area.Ballincollig had only 13,500 residents at the time, which was under the targetamount Tom would have preferred but the believed that people would drive tocinemas if they knew parking was going to be free and easy to find. Followingon from the success of Douglas he found that the banks attitude had changedtotally. They were more than happy to aid him in his investment. Tom drew upthe plans for the new cinema in such a way that if it wasn’t a success as a cine-ma the building itself could be turned into a warehouses or a shopping centre.

When I asked him about his thoughts on the new Mahon Point cinema and if hefelt his businesses are threatened by it, he replied that although it was a badyear for movies, his cinemas in Cork were still turning a healthy profit. Heclassed Mahon Point as a destination point cinema. It’s attached to a shoppingcentre so people can go there for more than one purpose, which was one of itsbiggest advantages. They focused a lot on comfort and this cost a lot of moneyand it’s reflected on ticket prices, which are one of its disadvantages.

Other projectsFrom my interview with Tom it’s clear that he’s a hub of new ideas and creativ-ity. He admits to having a short attention span and that once he has come upwith a new idea that he hates the detail and likes to hand over the projects.Managers currently run the cinemas and he has as little as possible to do withthe day-to-day running. He tells me of two such projects:

NeutraP – You’ll never flush againTom told me about a hotel stay a few years back. A flushing toilet caused him towake up in the middle of the night, as he was a light sleeper. This wasn’t the firstincident that this had happened and that it effected many people. He then foundout that an entire reservoir of water is used just for flushing the toilet at night.With London facing increasing drought problems every year including the worstever coming this summer he knew there had to be solution. He came up with theidea of a sanitation tablet that one could pop into the toilet and it would neu-tralise the water with out the need to flush.

Impressing me with his many contacts he told me he has collaborated withanother friend who is experienced in pool cleaning. They have devised the prod-uct down to the finest detail (it even bubbles when you drop it in and cleans theinside of the bowl. And is covered in a film much like the new dishwashertablets so one doesn’t have to touch the actual product). I had to laugh when hetold me the name of the product but he is quite proud of it.

Infact, Calgon (the lime scale product) and the London Themes Authority havecommissioned its development and trial and have bought the right to use it offTom. As he owns the patent he will receive a hefty percentage of the profits.Once a success, the UK government will more than likely make it mandatory thatall hotel rooms stock the product. That’s a lot of hotel rooms – that’s a lot ofmoney.

But it doesn’t stop there Tom has also developed the project further by the ideaof incorporating a pregnancy test into it. It will change colour depending on ifthe person was pregnant or not and change back in 15 seconds so that no onewould notice. They could also build in basic blood tests to test for a number ofdifferent health problems.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short

The Big Tomaso:The first wind resistant golf club.

Golf is one of Toms favourite past times. While playing a game ofgolf it came to his attention that wind resistance decreased thedistance that the ball would go when he hit it. “You know whenyou hit a fly with a newspaper. You swing for him but by the timethe paper lands he’s already gone. The fly isn’t fast; the windresistance built in the moving paper has pushed the fly out of theway. That’s why fly swatters have so many holes – to reduce resist-ance.” His ideas are so simple and it’s baffling and almost embar-rassing that no one has come up with them beforehand.

I can see where this is already going as he draws me a diagram ofthe club head. He draws a normal head but shows me where thetiny holes are drilled into the face and explains that the ball cango a hundred feet further. This is huge in the world of competitivegolf and is totally within the rules of golf. There’s a fortune to bemade in the world of golf club design with clubs such as ‘Ping’costing as much as $1,200.

Tom has what is called an intellectual patent on the product andhas again handed the project over to an American club designcompany. He frequently flies over and back to see how it’s comingalong. He too seems shocked at how fast these ideas are develop-ing “Do you know there are people who devote there lives todeveloping a certain type of product?” he exclaims. He decided toname it after himself – he used the Irish spelling of his name andtagged an ‘o’ on the end of it. I’m informed that the Tomaso canbe pronounced in all languages.

Tom explained that Tomaso and tomato are similar sounding andthe whole product should take on the idea of being different. Theclub head should be red. And specialised Tomato golf head coversshould be made for the clubs. Also jackets etc could be commis-sioned. “Of course the Americans think I’m mad and probablywont take it on board but why not suggest it?”

Lessons LearntTom seems truly happy and enjoys what he does. It shows in hisattitude and humour. He’s such an inspired and positive personit’s almost sickening. So being slightly pessimistic and typicallyIrish, I decide to focus the end of the interview on any mistakeshe’s made and lessons learnt.

“Trust.” He admits freely. “I probably trusted people too easily andthat mistake has proved costly in the past.” We don’t pry too muchinto this. “Also, I’ve learnt to say no to a lot of people and a lot ofideas faster…and not to make rushed decisions which I can bequite prone to doing. But I see any mistake as a learning curve andhave to put them down to that or I’ll end up bitter”

I asked him what’s the best piece of advice he would give to futurebudding entrepreneurs. “Don’t sell your self short,” He stresseskeenly. I would have never gotten this far if I had listened to otherpeople’s negativity. “Doubting yourself is probably human naturebut to me I see it as a waste of energy.”

Tom’s key talent is his willingness to listen to advice and to recog-nise that he is not an expert in every aspect of his business. Thisis found to be a very important characteristic in turning a poten-tial entrepreneur into a successful businessperson. Some truecharacter traits of an entrepreneur are clearly evident in Tom, theone that sticks out most, even to him, is that he never conformed.He is not afraid to think outside the box has paid off immenselyfor him.

Tom realizes the true value of family and there importance in hisfuture. He informs me he’s nearly 60 and in his mind he’s nowherenear reached that age yet. He dreads the thought of retirement butis looking forward to the prospect to having grandchildren! Is hehappy with where he is? Of course he is, but not because of theprofit but the success he has made of something that was only anidea a couple of years ago. “There’s too much focus on money notsuccess – money is a result of success not a measure of it”.

Jonathan O Sullivan

Rental Charges for 2006 / 2007Academic Year

Single Room €€3,850Twin Room €€2,650Security Deposit €€150Electricity Deposit €€250Annual Refuse, €€150Internet, Television and Security Charges

CALL US OR SEE WEBSITE FORFULL DETAILS & TERMS

* These deposits are refundable at the end ofthe rental period less actual electricity chargesand the safe return of the apartment invento-ry. Rental payment may be in two installmentson September 4th and December 8th 2006.

* In the event of a student cancelling on orbefore August 24th, €€175 of the bookingdeposit is refundable. There is no refund ofthe booking deposit after August 24th 2006.

complete the experience...

€250 OFFif you book beforeif you book beforeJune 1st 2006June 1st 2006

I admit it. I’m a Beboholic. It started a couple of months ago when I wasbeing bombarded with emails asking me to connect with whomever on thissite known as Bebo. I didn’t know what Bebo was nor was I interested infinding out so I discarded the emails immediately without even botheringto click on the link.

Shortly after however the conversation over lunch turned on to Bebo andrecalling hearing the word somewhere or other I asked what the bloodyhell it was. “Shell you’re so not with it” Carmel joked “It’s kind of a social site whereyou can connect with friends. Shell you so have to join” “Nah I’m not too impressed I think I’ll pass”.

But sure enough by the end of the week I had altered from an anti-beboieto a complete obsessive beboholic for which I blame Carmel for entirely. Iset up my home page during class (back in the good old days when the sitewas accessible through the CIT network) writing down the things aboutmyself which I considered would be of any mere interest to anyone elseand jotted down my passions and hates in life for whatever purpose I don’tknow but I still did it.

Many a night I found myself sitting on my bed spending hours scanningthrough both my own page and the pages of others and I realised I hadfallen into the this whole Bebo saga.

At the moment I’ve no photos up on my page except one single homepagephoto as I’m not one of those people who has a multiplicity of photos froma number of different nights (besides usually not in a good state to be holda camera steady) out so whatever photos I do manage to put up will bestolen from friends pages. On one occasion when looking for some coolphotos to steal I came across one which did not leave me a happy camperat all. Sarah had put it on her page and it had been taken when we wereon holidays last summer. She had blatantly put up a picture of me in myBikini and bearing in mind I’m no supermodel I was right to be mad.

“Sarah take that bloody picture off Bebo” I ordered her after dialling her number “You look lovely in it” “Why is there is no picture of you in a bikini?” “Ahem because there is no nice ones of me”

“Take it off. I’ll be online in an hour and if it’s still there I swear to GodSarah……………” I slammed the phone down feeling very betrayed but itdid make me think.

Bebo is a brilliant way of keeping in touch especially with friends who aretravelling or are in college in other cities but off course there are dangersassociated with such a popular social site. The first thing is if you decide tomake your page accessible the whole world can click on to it which iswhere a whole new generation of Bebo stalkers are born. Who can honest-ly say that they haven’t taken a peek at the page of an ex or a member ofthe opposite sex who they have a little shine for from afar to find out whatmakes him tick and find out what the competition is like by viewing whatgirls had beboed him.

A couple of nights ago I was on one particular page and I must say it wasthe most interesting page I have been on. From what I could gather from itthis girl’s boyfriend had cheated on her with several of her close friends(who needs enemies) and as a result of this she had turned her Bebo pageinto a hate campaign against Dan where she insulted his IQ, his kissingtechnique plus his technique at something else, told the world how hewaxes his legs and his chest and liked to steal her fake tan to use on him-self. There was many comments from him throwing back just as much hurt-ful remarks at her plus when you clicked on his page he had put up veryinappropriate photos off her (much worse than the “lovely” one Sarah hadput up on me). This is just one case when Bebo can go dramatically wrongand can be used for another reason than the one it’s intentionally for.

But I’m still obsessed with it and can easily spent hours on end on it; poordad will get a heart attack when the bill comes. I’m constantly changing myflash box at the moment I’ve the killers Mr. Brightside and then in my blogI do a little funny piece on news from Shell’s world where I use a lot ofcode which may sound very weird to strangers reading but those whoknow me get it.

At the exact moment of writing this I ‘m wondering will I justgo on Bebo for a little while to find out if anyone hasbeboed me and to see if my number of hits has reached 500yet (it’s all about popularity). Well what can I say I’mobsessed. Bebo me.

“...The first thing is if you decide to make yourpage accessible the whole world can click on to

it which is where a whole new generation ofBebo stalkers are born...”

by Michelle Bouse

The purpose behind the introduction of the Penalty Points System for RoadTraffic Violations is to reduce the number of road accidents by influencingmotorists to drive in a safer manner. According to a spokesperson for theAssociation of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, Gardai are under pressure tosecure the maximum number of convictions for such violations in order to keepthe figures for violations up, or “to make the figures look good”. Consequently,Gardai may tend to enforce the Penalty Points regulations in a manner mostlikely to secure the maximum number of convictions, rather than in a mannerlikely to encourage motorists to drive more safely. In effect, Garda check pointsmay be placed where many drivers may marginally exceed limits or otherwisetransgress, while not driving unsafely. On the other hand many places wheredrivers are apt to drive unsafely are not policed, thus severely diminishing theeffectiveness of the system.

The purpose of Quality Assurance Schemes in Higher Education is to ensurethat academic standards are maintained. In such schemes inter alia muchattention is given to pass and retention rates of students on courses. Akin tothe situation for Gardai, some teachers feel under pressure to ensure that passrates on courses are high, or to be more precise that failure rates are low. It ispossible for teachers to ensure that failure rates are low by seeing to it that,while official syllabi remain unaltered, what students are required to learn inorder to pass is minimised. So for example, one can elide, or at least dilute, dif-

ficult topics, emphasise topics likely to appear in examinations and generallytruncate courses so that only very disinterested students fail. Ensuing high passrates will remove one type of pressure from teachers. Apparently there is awell-known maxim of management, which might equally apply to collegeexaminations, to the effect that “what gets measured gets done”. The corollaryof this is that what is unmeasured is ignored.

In respect of both road traffic offences and examination results the original pur-pose of the control systems has been undermined, because those expected toimplement the systems feel under pressure from above “to make the figureslook good”. The consequence in respect of motoring regulations are needlessto say very much more serious, in that more people get killed and injured onthe roads. The consequences for higher education are somewhat moreopaque. But one can speculate that real standards (i.e., what students haveactually learned) will decline. Consequently, as with price inflation, what anemployer actually gets from college graduates may be increasingly be less thanwhat the employer may have felt entitled to expect. More subtly, the object ofeducation leans even more heavily towards the passing of examinations andthe acquisition of certification as a means to employment. This could be saidto reflect an increasing depersonalisation and “commoditisation” of the individ-ual as a unit of labour, perhaps an inevitable consequence of economic glob-alisation, as foretold by the now unfashionable Karl Marx.

by John Murphy, Dept. Management & Marketing

“...Gardai may tend to enforce the Penalty Points regulations in a mannermost likely to secure the maximum number of convictions, rather than

in a manner likely to encourage motorists to drive more safely..”

Nearly finished now, its amazing how fast the college year flies by but we havethe small matter of the end of year exams yet to go for most of us. To help youget through and to celebrate all your hard work over the year the FloppySocsociety will host an end of year party. Plans are being drawn up at the momentto make it a party hard to forget so keep an eye out over the coming weeks orlog onto http://www.floppysoc.com for further details.

The last two-months have been busy ones for the society as many large-scaleevents took place. One of them was the Robocode Ireland 2006 National pro-gramming competition (http://www.robocode.ie) being held in TipperaryInstitute, Thurles, where colleges from all over Ireland took part. Cork Instituteof Technology where represented by DCOM1 computing students Alan Moreyand Andrew Adams with their robot "ChuckNorris", under the stewardship oflecturer Jim Doyle. The CIT team made light work of the qualifying rounds andentered a commanding position in the semi-final where they got to tweak andimprove their robots performance in a specially constructed “code bunker”.

The final proved to be a real Cork and Dublin battle with the CIT team pittingtheir wits against a talented team from Dublin Institute of Technology with theirrobot deceptively called “Spinning Banana”. A Trojan battle ensued with CITholding a slender lead going into the final round. CIT didn’t slip up in whatproved to be a highly entertaining final coming away with the honours to greatapplause from the large crowd attending. The winners picked up the TipperaryCrystal ICS RoboCode Challenge Trophy along with soundcards and headsetsfor the competitors and I.T. equipment for the Computing department. Welldone to the team for their hard work and great programming skill to bring totitle to Cork and CIT. Hopefully we can go on and try to retain it next year.

Another unique event organised by the FloppySoc was the successful CareersSeminar simply titled “Graduates Speaking About Life After Their Degree”. Bothstudents and staff found the event to be equally interesting and informativewith some students are now planning on doing a masters because of what thespeakers had to say. Our speakers included Donagh Kiernan (Maidsfield); JohnMcDermot (Motorola); Alan McGibney and Donna Griffin (PhD Research, CIT -Adaptive Wireless Systems Group) all of whom were graduates from theDepartment of Computing who all gave great talks on what they did in collegeto where they are now. FloppySoc would like to thank Jonathan Sherwin for allhis help in organising this event.

It wasn’t all serious these past few months though; at the end of March wewent to Combat Zone in Limerick where we pelted the crap out of rivals NUIGalway in a great game of paintballing. Afterwards we headed to the BTownBar for refreshments and then to Blu Bambu where they kindly let us in for free.

On the society front there was the small issue of the Cork Institute ofTechnology AIB Society awards, which took place on Tuesday 4th April in theGresham Metropole Hotel. The FloppySoc Society bidding to take home anaward for the first time in many years were awarded the “Best Course BasedSociety” for their course based activities throughout the year. To add to the cel-ebrations for the society the FloppySoc Chairman Brian Bermingham wasawarded an Individual award for his hard work and commitment throughoutthe year. A big thanks must go out to all the people who contributed andattended theses events in the past year without their support these awardscould not have being achieved.

Continuing on from the success of the CIT Society Awards, CIT duly hosted thenational equivalent the Board of Irish College Societies (BICShttp://www.bics.ie) awards on the 13th of April. The FloppySoc Society wasnominated for “Most Improved Society” and “Best Website” which was an hon-our in itself. Colleges including DCU, DIT, UCC and NUIG to name a few attend-ed the awards ceremony in the Rochestown Park Hotel after a gruelling day ofinterviews in the Bishopstown campus. Unfortunately FloppySoc did not pickup an award on the night but not all was lost for CIT with the InternationalStudent Society wining the “Best Society in a Small College” award, congratu-lations to their great achievement. Also a great amount of praise must be givento the ever hard working Societies Officer, Mervyn O’Mahony and his CIT teamfor hosting the event.

Again the FloppySoc Society would like to wish all students the best of luck intheir exams, to invite you to the end of year party and also to post your com-ments, photos and ideas over the summer months on the FloppySoc website(http://www.floppysoc.com). Until we meet again take care.

FloppySoc Committeehttp://www.floppysoc.com/gallery2

The staff and management of the Rochestown Park Hotel would like to wish allCIT students the very best of luck with their forthcoming summer examinations.

Thank you for once again making the Rochestown Park Hotel CIT’s number one Ball Venue for 2006.We hope to see you all again next year.

CIT Self Help for Africa Society held its first fashion show on Wednesday 15th ofMarch in Silver Springs Moran Hotel. The show was held in response to the grow-ing food shortages in Eastern Africa and will aid famine prevention and sustainablerural development in Eritrea, Kenya and Ethiopia. Over €€5000 was raised on thenight. This will now be multiplied by six by the ‘Irish Government’, ‘European Union’,‘Band Aid Trust’ and other agencies giving the national Self Help organisation over€€35,000 to use in its work in Africa.

Chairman of the CIT Self Help Society, Colm Crowley said, “The Self Help for AfricaSociety travelled on its first trip to Kenya last June and have a particular concern forits citizens. Personally I have also been to Ethiopia and I have seen debts of pover-ty unimaginable in the 21st century. These people need our direct action and help”.

He added, “The show displayed a variety of Corks finest clothing including kids,casual and evening wear for both males and females. The show also incorporatedAfrican Drumming, and Harpist, Ruth O’hAodha. It was a must for all fashion enthu-siasts and provided a great evening’s entertainment for all while helping those mostworthy of our assistance. Although our efforts are only a drop in the ocean we mustcontinue to do the best we can to help those who so desperately need our help”.

Self Help AfricaFashion Show

LIVE MUSIC - BBQ’s - PARTY FUNBEER GARDEN - GAMES & PRIZES

BEST OF LUCK WITH EXAMS& ENJOY SUMMER!

Senior TeamDue to the atrocious weather we had during October and the beginning ofNovember leading to the cancellation of games and also due to a walkovergiven to Tallaght IT (due to a glut of injuries in late November), the CIT firstshad a very slow start to their quest to right last seasons one point defeat in thefinal, however in December the Team travelled to The Garda training collegeand announced their arrival to the league with a great 17-0 victory. A numberof the players (Maurice Power (Club President), Jim Mackessy, Joe Moynihan,Ollie McGlinchy, Colin Mahony, Colin Corkery, Jeff Hitchmough, Tommy Mee)also took part in the successful Munster Colleges Team that won the inter-prosfor the second year running. After the Christmas break the team suffered adefeat away at the hands of AIT, but progressed to the semi-finals thanks to afantastic performance against WIT The teams opponents in the semi was nonother than the team that beat us in the final last year (LIT), so the players wererelishing the opportunity to avenge that defeat, however on a very controver-sial day in Limerick CIT failed in their quest going down to LIT by 16 points to11 and so ended their run in this years competition. The team committee ofMaurice Power, Tim Ryan, Paul Hurley, John Murphy, Eoin Deane and BernardO’Callaghan are working tirelessly to achieve the clubs ultimate goal of liftingthe ICRU All-Ireland Colleges title for the first time and have vowed to contin-ue that work until the college achieves this goal

Senior LadiesThe ladies struggled at the start of the year due to a shortage of players butthrough hard work from Mary Wade and John Murphy they finally got therequired numbers out training and beat a very fancied UCC side in the openinground of the League in December. They continued the good work after theChristmas break and reached the semi final phase of the league where theyplayed WIT After controlling the game for long periods the girls were veryunlucky to concede a breakaway try with minutes remaining to lose out 17-14.Chairperson Mary Wade led the club superbly this year and hopefully they willbring home the silverware next year that they truly deserve for their fantasticeffort

Senior SecondsThe seconds team has been the major success this year. Competing in Division2 of the ICRU league they have gotten through the first phase of gamesunscathed with impressive wins over Colaiste Spioraid Naofa, NationalMaritime College of Ireland, Tralee I.T., Carlow I.T. and Athlone I.T. The victoryagainst A.I.T. was especially significant as it was the first time that any CIT teamhas gone to Athlone and come away victorious and was all the more satisfyingas Colin Corkery kicked the team to victory with the last kick of the game. Theteam being managed by players Willy McCarthy and Dave Lucey and staff JohnMurphy, Aidan McDonald and Don Spicer are also into the knock out stages oftheir competition and must now rank as one of the favourites

CIT/N.M.C.I.The National Maritime College entered the Division two competition this year,having founded the club only last year, and have fulfilled all their fixtures todate. They have been very unlucky in two of these fixtures having been beatenaway to Carlow by the narrowest of margins (9-8) and to Tralee I.T. (16-13).

With this in mind I feel they are very close to establishing themselves as a forcein Colleges rugby and with Bill Kavanagh (Staff), Stuart Donaldson and TomMee (Students0 at the helm the future looks very bright for “The Mariners”

FreshersThe freshers unfortunately failed to make it out of the pool stages this year.Having defeated Maynooth and Carlow away we felt that this team couldmount a serious challenge for the title, however a one point defeat at the handsof WIT meant that our progression to the knockouts was halted. Disappointingas this is I have no doubt that the new kids on the block can even further steerthe college forward in the coming years. The team was run by Players KelvinMaye, Darren Frahill and Alan McKessy as well as staff John Murphy, Don Spicerand Bernard O’Callaghan. As a large number of this team has made it into boththe senior team squads I would hope that they will enjoy some success laterthis year.

AppointmentThis season has seen the appointment of John Murphy (6157) by The MunsterBranch to the position of Rugby Development Officer in CIT John plays rugbyfor Highfield RFC and has played representative rugby with Ireland at U19 andU21.

CIT Back on CampusAfter almost nine years off the campus, due to the CIT pitch becoming the Astroturf pitches, CIT Rugby is back to where it belongs. With the rugby pitch inimmaculate condition (thanks to Pearse McNamara and his team) we wouldlove to see staff and students coming along to the numerous matches that willbe played there over the coming months – I promise you that you will beimpressed by the standard that is on show here in the College

BursariesBursaries this year went to Tim Ryan (Captain of the Senior Team this year andlast), Dave Ryan (Munster Academy Member, Munster & Irish U21 and a mem-ber of the winning Freshers team last year) and Batt Duggan (Munster & IrishU21 and member of the winning Freshers team last year).

Tag Rugby Commenced in early March and is a great fun way for getting fresh air into thelungs and becoming fit without even realising it. It is also a great way of mak-ing new friends so I would encourage all staff and students to came out andgive it a try. Details will be on notice boards, staff emails and/or from JohnMurphy (6157)

Triple Crown. I would like to congratulate three former students Denis Leamy, David Wallaceand Donnacha O’Callaghan on claiming the Triple Crown by beating England atTwickenham in March. This was a tremendous achievement and hopefully wewill be able to arrange for the three players to come in with the crown in thenot to distant future

Eoin Deane

by Eoin Deane, CIT Rugby Coach

It was another action filled year for the Institutes biggest club whose member-ship is now currently over 500 students. With eighteen teams involved in com-petition, we had barely time to draw our breath as we went from game togame, over One Hundred and Sixty of them, plying our skills against those ofthe other 3rd level establishments of Ireland in the art of hurling, football,camogie, ladies football and handball. We ran coaching courses and confer-ences and a very successful GAA Ball at the Commons. The response to ourannual draw was phenomenal and this coupled with a stream of other socialevents, some of them planned and others in response to win, loss or even adraw, it really has been a whirl wind of activity since we began last September.

On the field of play we had our successes as well as our disappointments. TheSenior Camogie team captured their first ever senior camogie title with a winover NUIG and then Garda College to win the Ashbourne Shield in Limerick.

The Intermediate hurlers having already captured the Munster 3rd levelChampionship with wins over UL and WIT in their semi final and final addedthe All Ireland trophy to their collection with a semi-final win over GMIT and amemorable victory over LIT in the Final.

The junior footballers also captured All Ireland glory with a flawless campaignbeating WIT, UCC, NUIG, UCD and finally beating UUJ in a pulsating final inDublin. At the time of writing our Intermediate footballers, having alreadysecured the Munster Championship with victory over UCC, are now awaiting toplay their All Ireland final against DIT having defeated DCU in their semi-final.

While the Fresher Footballers won the John Galvin U21 football tournament forthe second year running All Ireland success eluded them when the surprising-ly bowed out against UCD in a replay ? final.

We had also a string of unsuccessful final appearances this season and whilebeing beaten in a final is always difficult, there is some consolation in recognis-ing the achievement of reaching them.

The Senior Hurlers went down to WIT in their National Hurling League Finalafter a great run. The Senior Ladies Football team lost to UUJ in the final of theSenior Colleges O’Connor Shield, while there were defeats too for the Juniorhurlers and the Fresher 2 and 3 Hurlers in their respective finals. The Camogieteam were also runners up to UCD in the final of the Senior 7 aside while thefreshers had succumbed to UCC in the final of the “B” All Ireland.

Success however comes in many forms and while silverware and nationalacclaim is how many view success, those of you who have been involved insport for any period of time will appreciate the deeper levels where success canbe found. Success is in the friends you make, the memories you have, the bat-tles and journeys shared, the emotions experienced and pride that is taken inputting on the jersey to represent your College, Club or County.

So while winning adds to the taste of success it certainly can’t claim to be itssole ingredient. To all therefore, who have contributed in making this year thesuccess that it was, a sincere THANK YOU. To the Club Officers, Coaches,Selectors, Supporters and most importantly the Players, your efforts are verymuch appreciated and we wish you every good wish with your exams and thesummer holidays. For those who finish in CIT this year we wish you every suc-cess in the careers that you chose and hope your involvement with GAA clubhas added to the positive experience of attending the Cork Institute ofTechnology. We wish also to thank all the staff, especially those without whosecooperation none of this activity would have happened. In particularly wewould like to recognise all those involved in Student Services, Sports andSocieties, Students’ Union, Caretakers and the Administrative staff. Finally tothose in the academia, Heads of School, Department heads, CourseCoordinators and the Lecturing staff for you understanding and support of allour students. We look forward to working with you all again next year.

Keith RickenGAA Officer CIT

CIT GAA ClubEnd of Year Review

by Keith Ricken

“...The junior footballers also captured AllIreland glory with a flawless campaign beatingWIT, UCC, NUIG, UCD and finally beatingUUJ in a pulsating final in Dublin...”

INTERESTED IN MEDICAL RESEARCH?WE REQUIRE HEALTHY MALES & FEMALES AGED 18 - 50 TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL STUDIES.

PARTICIPANTS ARE FINANCIALLY COMPENSATED FOR THEIR TIME AND EXPENSES.

FREE PHONE 1800-201365TEL: (021) 4505933 (BETWEEN 9AM-4PM)

OR E-MAIL: jean.conway@shandonclinic.ie

ww.shandonclinic.ie

The Suas Society CIT proudly presents its first participanton the Suas Volunteer Programme, Joanne Scobie, a sec-ond year student at the Crawford College of Art andDesign. Suas is an Irish charity concerned with education-al development both in Ireland and abroad. Every year theSuas Volunteer programme offers enthusiastic young peo-ple the chance to make a difference by volunteering incommunity run projects in India and Kenya during thesummer months.

This year Joanne has been placed in India. She will beworking as a volunteer with an NGO called Prayas thataims to provide basic needs – shelter, food and educationto slum children in Dehli suburbs. Each volunteer is

required to contribute ?2,950 toward the total cost of theprogramme so Joanne will be organising all sorts offundraising events over the next few months. If you haveany fundraising suggestions please email Joanne atjoscob@hotmail.com.

You can find more information on the Suas volunteer pro-gramme at www.suas.ie.

Suas has a number of societies through out the colleges ofIreland which promote educational development at homeby running homework clubs, holding fundraisers and lotsmore. The Suas Society of CIT meets every Wednesday at1.15pm in B227.

Suas Volunteer Programme 2006

The success of ‘Battle of the Bands’ was evi-dent for the second year in a row, giving CITBands the chance to show their talent and skillas performers and artists, in which ‘CaptainInsano’ claimed first place and ‘Loaded GunEffect’ took second place (all the heats andfinal were free of charge to everyone). Thefinal was held in Crúiscín Lán on Wednesday15th March.

Word Search Puzzle http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/code/BuildWordSearch.asp

1 of 1 26/04/2006 01:39

May 2006

O O S V C U A Y O T T N U E SN O I N U E G P I H M L X Y TR X Q O G V T C P C U A E T NK O D A G F I U Y E M M Y R EP H H T B L F W T I A K J A DU S X E P O Y O N I L L K P UI U R X B X W A D U T M S M TY M E V K Z T T R J U S O Z SL M H O L I D A Y S U V N P UW E G C O R K H T V I P W I DE R D N R P Y I K N O B R T ES R S G N L C D G L L T L R GA S Q Y J W B M U P V E D S JF J H H A T G G V T M Z T P TY G O L O N H C E T S N E H U

APPEALS

CITSU

CORK

EXAMINATIONS

EXPLICIT

HOLIDAYS

INSTITUTE

MAY

MOVING

PARTY

STUDENTS

STUDY

SUMMER

TECHNOLOGY

UNION

15 of 15 words were placed into the puzzle.

Solution

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com

MAYEXPLICITAPPEALS

CITSUCORK

INSTITUTETECHNOLOGY

STUDENTSUNION

MOVINGSUMMERHOLIDAYS

STUDYEXAMINATIONS

PARTY

This Month’s Prize:LimitLimited Edition expliCIT Rugby Jerseyed Edition expliCIT Rugby Jersey

Competition Closes 5pm Friday 12th May 2006Last Months Winner: John O’Driscoll

Competition Rules: All Entries to be returned by deadline to Students’ Union Main Office (C143) on official form. Winner MUST be a CIT Student and one entry per person.

• CCTV Security System

• Direct Walkway to CIT

• Professional Office Staff

• City Centre Bus Route

• On-Campus Parking

• Full Broadband Internet Connection to CIT

Model Farm Road, Cork

Email: studentenqs@parchmentsquarecork.com

www.parchmentsquarecork.com

(021)4545200

Accommodation

Prices from €55 per

week in academic year

2006/07

The Closest Purpose-Built Student

Accommodationto CIT

Fill in the grid, ensuring that each column and row andFill in the grid, ensuring that each column and row andevery 3 x 3 boevery 3 x 3 box contains the numbers 1x contains the numbers 1-9. -9.

(T(The same number cannot appear twice in any rowhe same number cannot appear twice in any row, column, columnor 3 x 3 boor 3 x 3 box at any time).x at any time).

Win Limited Edition expliCIT Rugby ShirtTo enter simply return completed sudoku puzzle in evelope withyour name, class and contact details to the SU shop in c143 by

Friday 12th May 2006

SU DOKU001

DAILY FINGERTIME

Print and fold me for the journeyto work.

Each row, column and cell mustcontain the numbers 1 to 9 withoutany duplicates to solve the puzzle.GOOD LUCK!

Get solutions and more freeSu Doku puzzles fromhttp://fingertime.com/sudoku.php

www.fingertime.com-puzzle001-1www.fingertime.com-puzzle001-2www.fingertime.com-puzzle001-3

www.fingertime.com - puzzle 001-4 www.fingertime.com - puzzle 001-5